On the Right Track (Dinosaur Detective) - Hardcover

Gr. 3-6. Eleven-year-old Fenton Rumplemayer is a dinosaur lover who is following in the tracks of his paleontologist parents. Fenton's chance to really get close to the action comes when his parents leave their jobs at the New York Museum of Natural History to work on special projects. The youngster is excited about his mother's one-year project in India and then is disappointed to find out that instead of experiencing the mystery and majesty of the East, he's being shipped out West to a nowhere place called Morgan, Wyoming, with his dad. Much of the story's focus deals with Fenton's missing his mother and his adjustment. The real mystery doesn't heat up until rather late in the book but still proves satisfying as Fenton fits the pieces of the dinosaur puzzle together. Fenton's new Wyoming pal, his computer hookup to his New York friend, and the mystery dinosaur tracks should keep boys and girls reading. Denia Hester

Eleven-year-old Fenton Rumplemayer, who loves to study dinosaurs, whiles away free hours in the Museum of Natural History in New York City, where his parents work as paleontologists. When each parent is given an opportunity to spend a year at a dig site, his mother travels to India, and Fenton and his father set up shop in a small town in Wyoming. There a team of paleontologists discovers some puzzling dinosaur footprints, but only Fenton (with the help of his two best friends) is able to fit the clues together. Dinophiles will definitely want to track down this energetic new series (the second installment, Fair Play , is being released simultaneously). Calhoun easily integrates fascinating dinosaur facts into a brisk story, and brings her characters to life via authentic dialogue and expressive narration. Ages 8-12.
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.